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Full vulnerability report · 2026
CVE-2026-6266High confidence

Aap-controller: aap-gateway: account hijacking and unauthorized access via unverified email linking

Unknown · Unknown

Official source article: Red Hat RHSA-2026:13508 ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.

8.3HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityHighOperational priority:High, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • EPSS is 0.57% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
  • Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Unknown Unknown and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 30 daysRemediation target: Within 180 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Direct vendor intelligence

Authoritative vendor CSAF and VEX advisories

Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.

1 current
CVE-2026-6266 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 3 · finalRed Hat Product Securityaap-controller: aap-gateway: Account hijacking and unauthorized access via unverified email linking
60 fixed

The vendor explicitly identifies these products or versions as containing the fix.

  • automation-controller-venv-tower-0:4.6.28-3.el8ap.aarch64 as a component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8
  • automation-controller-venv-tower-0:4.6.28-3.el8ap.ppc64le as a component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8
  • automation-controller-venv-tower-0:4.6.28-3.el8ap.s390x as a component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8
  • automation-controller-venv-tower-0:4.6.28-3.el8ap.x86_64 as a component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8
  • automation-gateway-server-0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap.noarch as a component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8
  • python3.12-django-ansible-base+activitystream-0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap.noarch as a component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8
  • python3.12-django-ansible-base+api_documentation-0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap.noarch as a component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8
  • python3.12-django-ansible-base+authentication-0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap.noarch as a component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8
  • python3.12-django-ansible-base+channel_auth-0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap.noarch as a component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8
  • python3.12-django-ansible-base+feature_flags-0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap.noarch as a component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8
  • python3.12-django-ansible-base+jwt_consumer-0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap.noarch as a component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8
  • python3.12-django-ansible-base+oauth2_provider-0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap.noarch as a component of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.5 for RHEL 8
Summary
A flaw was found in the AAP gateway. The user auto-link strategy, introduced in AAP 2.6, automatically links an external Identity Provider (IDP) identity to an existing AAP user account based on email matching without verifying email ownership. This allows a remote attacker to potentially hijack a victim's account or gain unauthorized access to other accounts, including administrative accounts, by manipulating the IDP-provided email.
Remediation
For details on how to apply this update, refer to Ansible Automation Platform documentation.
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2026-26967

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

A flaw was found in the AAP gateway. The user auto-link strategy, introduced in AAP 2.6, automatically links an external Identity Provider (IDP) identity to an existing AAP user account based on email matching without verifying email ownership. This allows a remote attacker to potentially hijack a victim's account or gain unauthorized access to other accounts, including administrative accounts, by manipulating the IDP-provided email.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
8.3 · CVSS 3.1
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

A flaw was found in the AAP gateway. The user auto-link strategy, introduced in AAP 2.6, automatically links an external Identity Provider (IDP) identity to an existing AAP user account based on email matching without verifying email ownership. This allows a remote attacker to potentially hijack a victim's account or gain unauthorized access to other accounts, including administrative accounts, by manipulating the IDP-provided email.

What

A flaw was found in the AAP gateway. The user auto-link strategy, introduced in AAP 2.6, automatically links an external Identity Provider (IDP) identity to an existing AAP user account based on email matching without verifying email ownership. This allows a remote attacker to potentially hijack a victim's account or gain unauthorized access to other accounts, including administrative accounts, by manipulating the IDP-provided email.

Why

The authentication algorithm is sound, but the implemented mechanism can be bypassed as the result of a separate weakness that is primary to the authentication error.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

What

A flaw was found in the AAP gateway. The user auto-link strategy, introduced in AAP 2.6, automatically links an external Identity Provider (IDP) identity to an existing AAP user account based on email matching without verifying email ownership. This allows a remote attacker to potentially hijack a victim's account or gain unauthorized access to other accounts, including administrative accounts, by manipulating the IDP-provided email.

Why

The authentication algorithm is sound, but the implemented mechanism can be bypassed as the result of a separate weakness that is primary to the authentication error.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
a network path → Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
Low: a basic authenticated account is required
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-305 ↗

CWE-305: Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness. The authentication algorithm is sound, but the implemented mechanism can be bypassed as the result of a separate weakness that is primary to the authentication error.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.ALowAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a limited loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
NetworkCWE-305
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-26967Official EUVD mapping

A flaw was found in the AAP gateway. The user auto-link strategy, introduced in AAP 2.6, automatically links an external Identity Provider (IDP) identity to an existing AAP user account based on email matching without verifying email ownership. This allows a remote attacker to potentially hijack a victim's account or gain unauthorized access to other accounts, including administrative accounts, by manipulating the IDP-provided email.

Official EUVD record ↗
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20260506Security Bulletin 06 May 2026

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 06 May 2026, published on 6 May 2026. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Patch available
Affected
2.5.0 < 2.5.20260422, 2.6.0 < 2.6.20260422, 4.6.0 < 4.6.28, 4.7.0 < 4.7.11
Fixed
Action
For details on how to apply this update, refer to Ansible Automation Platform documentation.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 4 May 2026 · Last source change 27 Aug 2026, 12:04 UTC · CWE-305 · Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-26967
Product sourceUnavailable
Remediation sourceVendor CSAF · Red Hat Product Security
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD awaiting enrichment

Missing structured fields: affected product. Missing data is not evidence of low risk; review the primary advisory.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    See the vendor and CVE records for the affected range. · Fixed: 0:4.6.28-3.el8ap < *; 0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap < *; 0:4.6.28-3.el9ap < *; 0:2.5.20260422-2.el9ap < *; 0:4.7.11-2.el9ap < *; 0:2.6.20260422-1.el9ap < *
    After
    2.5.0 < 2.5.20260422; 2.6.0 < 2.6.20260422; 4.6.0 < 4.6.28; 4.7.0 < 4.7.11 · Fixed: 0:4.6.28-3.el8ap < *; 0:2.5.20260422-2.el8ap < *; 0:4.6.28-3.el9ap < *; 0:2.5.20260422-2.el9ap < *
    CNA ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2026-26967↗Vendor CSAF · Red Hat Product Security↗CVE authority or vendor reference · Red Hat RHSA-2026:13508↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2026-6266 · cve.blacktree.nl